Groups looking to take advantage of the city's capital partnership program got together in mid-March to share their potential projects.

“The focus of the meeting on the 13th was the sharing of the concepts to begin networking,” said Monique St. Louis. St. Louis is the director of Build St. Albert, the city department responsible for the capital partnership program.

The meeting is part of a series of forums that will take place over 2014 as groups get geared up to try and build facilities using the funding options available under the program.

The program officially starts Jan. 1, 2015 and runs until Dec. 21, 2019. Under the program, the city will provide up to a maximum of a third of funding for a new physical facility. That third can be between $500,000 and $5-million.

Not-for-profits, volunteer, civic or other groups who could qualify for funding will need to supply the other two-thirds of the funding, be it through fundraising, grants or other means.

Each time a project comes forward to council, a recommended funding plan for the city's portion will be presented for council's consideration, and St. Louis said that could potentially be money from the Municipal Sustainability Initiative grants given to the city, but could also be land or another form of funding but council will have final approval over the funding decisions. .

The March forum was to get community organizations that have an idea they might like to pursue to present their information and begin to look at potential collaboration partners.

“To imagine the possibilities and look for partnerships either through more traditional or non-traditional, you know, thinking a little bit differently about capital projects,” said St. Louis.

Presentations were given by the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, the Greater St. Albert Catholic School Board, Northern Alberta Business Institute, Dynamyx Gymnastics Club, St. Albert Soccer Association and the St. Albert Curling Club.

St. Louis said the St. Albert Curling Club was asked to present about their recent expansion and the funding model they used, which St. Louis said mirrors the way the capital partnership program might work.

The group's potential projects range from looking for partners to complement the expansion and modernization of St. Albert Catholic High School to building a new covered soccer stadium facility.

The next meeting will be in June.

“There's three more forums in 2014, the next one will be in June and what we're focusing on is sort of the business planning,” St. Louis said.

Other organizations with potential qualifying projects are still welcome to join in on the meetings.

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